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Nambik
Collected Qashmallim Reports Date collected: D121.Y143 OBSERVATIONAL REPORT J-477-H-011 Observer: Yh Aq PlSubject: Race Studies - The Nambik Beginning Report: At the request of the Exalted One Mj Wf Gv, I traveled to the planet the native refer to as Hagust, which we know as 0-85798. Upon arrival I began to observe the habits of the native sentient race, who call themselves the Nambik. What follows are my observations and notes. Planet: Hagust is the fourth planet in the Ravel system, which orbits a star that only recently (approximentally fifty thousand years ago) shifted from yellow to blue; our records name this star TYT-49885. It is one and one half the size of the planet Earth, but has a lower percentage of heavy metals, giving it about the same gravity. The planet is heavily broken up subterrestrially by tectonic plates, which are constantly shifting. As a result, the planet is covered in mountain ranges and subject to near-constant earthquakes. The entire planet is steadily affected by 3.0 Richter earthquakes; on the few days of each month that the earthquakes are stilled, the Nambik arrange important events such as spacecraft launches. The Nambik settle largely in the fertile valleys between ranges. Most of the planet's water is underground, save for a few extremely large lakes; Nambik settlements began at these lakes and slowly spread outwards. Hagust has four satellites, only one of which has seen visitation by the Nambik (the others are too small for safe landings); none have received colonization. First Major Species: The Nambik Appearance: A common slur used by several species towards the Nambik is the local equivalent to "lizard man". They have wide, broad bodies with thick skin, heavily lined with subcutaneous fat. Their stomachs are lined with hard cartilege plates that "lock" when any serious damage is taken, protecting the internal organs and giving their stomachs a "plastron" look. Nambik hands are clawed, making it easier for them to climb the rock walls that so define their worlds, and their legs are long and double-jointed to aid in claiming footholds. Their heads are relatively small, and they grow little hair. A Nambik possesses heavy bones, which makes it less likely that a fall will disable them while making bipedal movement harder; as a result, they usually move on all fours, only raising their bodies off the ground when needed. The Nambik resting position is "sitting on haunches". Nambik skin comes in shades of yellow, green, gray or black. - Clothing: Nambik typically wear large cloaks, which they wrap tightly around their bodies. Underneath this they wear harnesses tied into place to help them carry pouches with their personal gear and wraps around their lower bodies for modesty. Any further clothing would be awkward given their quadrapedal gait. Biological Requirements: As with all organic lifeforms, a Nambik requires food, water and air. Nambik settlements are usually based around deep wells, with many ways to collect rainwater during the infrequent, heavy rains set up. In the past, many Nambik were nomadic, traveling after the great tribes of the Erum (a strange, loping primate with sharp-clawed hands for digging to water); however, the Nambik then realized the Erum were intelligent as well and broke off the hunts. Both species currently exist in peace; the Erum live amid the foothills and trade with the Nambik near them. (See Observational Report E-468-D-001, "Erum".) Now that the Nambik have achieved spaceflight, much of their food is imported from other worlds, but they continue to maintain carefully-irrigated farms and raise the large, hairy annelids known as vogo for food. Farmers are held in high esteem by the Nambik, as it is very hard to get crops to grow in the constant tremor conditions of Hagust, and thus a farmer must spend much of his life repairing his fields. Any Nambik who takes on the role of a farmer has devoted himself to a life of constant toil. Reproduction: Due to the harsh nature of life on Hagust, Nambik reproduction is fairly tricky. A Nambik female's reproductive system is located above and in front of her kidneys (to avoid the "plates" under her abdomen). She carries developing children in a uterine pouch on her back, where it grows for about a year. At birth, the young Nambik travels down from the pouch and emerges from the mother's body, fully aware and able to stand and walk. Full intelligence, however, takes two years to develop, as the brain is still growing during that period; during this time the young Nambik has the rough intelligence of a smart dog. The usual Nambik birth consists of one child; twins are considered to be good luck, as the Laughing One and the Grim One (two of the Nambik gods) are twins. Lifespan: The average Nambik on Hagust lives for sixty years. In space or on other planets, they tend to live slightly longer, to about seventy-five years. Culture Technology: The Nambik are a Technology Level 10 race. Traditionally, their research grounds are a series of rock-strewn ruins located around the base of a mountain called Riega-Yien Dresk ("Chained One's Locks"). The first Nambik spacecraft were built atop flexible frames made from thousands of thin wooden strips lashed together, so designed so that earthquakes would not topple the frame and destroy the craft. The current generation are not exactly aerodynamic, being several metal orbs linked together through powerful magnetic coils and controlled with several rotating fusion jets; in case of emergency, the sections of the ship can close off and separate. The Nambik have yet to establish permanent stellar habitation. They do have several space stations around their otherworld colonies, but these are merely for refueling and repair of spacecraft. Nambik have a powerful cultural bias towards living on solid ground. Certain sects of Nambik society prefer the traditional sharp-stone tools of their ancestors, but the majority wield multi-purpose laser tools initially gained through trade with the Miridi.Construction is done by hand, even with these tools. The Nambik travel by foot on planetary surfaces. They have never truly gotten comfortable with vehicles, as there is far too much chance of a vehicle being overturned or destroyed by a spike in tremors. Nambik who live on worlds other than Hagust have begun to use a variety of motorcycle for long journies. Nambik medicine was never based on natural cures; few non-poisonous herbs grow on Hagust. Nambik believe strongly in allowing the body's own processes to work on illness or injury (in part because surgery on a steadily-quaking planet is riskier than the injury it is supposed to heal). They have, however, begun to incorporate more advanced healing techniques into their lives, especially outside of Hagust. Religion: Belief and ritual are an important part of Nambik life on Hagust. The Nambik revere three primary gods: Valta-Yien ("The Laughing One"), Erolis-Yien ("The Smiling One"), and Piol-Yien ("The Grim One"). At the same time, they revile Riega-Yien, "the Chained One". Valta-Yien, the Laughing One, is said to oversee all that has to do with the travels Nambik make across the lands and the mountains; he is said to protect the Nambik who travel in space. Erolis-Yien, the Smiling One, guards the Nambik in times of disaster and aids their attempts to create. Piol-Yien, the Grim One, oversees war and guides the souls of fallen Nambik to the afterlife. Riega-Yien is said to be bound in unbreakable chains in the center of Hagust. His eternal struggle against his chains is the cause of the endless tremors that shake the planet, and the three gods work tirelessly to guard his prison, so that he may never escape. Nomadic Nambik often indulge in layered, complex prayers that last between thirty minutes (on a normal day) to several days (when the earthquakes grow intense), chanted in shifts and accompanied by hoisting of sacred icons. A great ovoid rock formation, known as Valta-Piol Woqua ("Laughing-Grim Nest"), the birthplace of Valta-Yien and Piol-Yien, is the site of pilgrimages made by desperate or pious Nambik. In the Nambik cities, the prayers are led in a great courtyard, and all Nambik are expected to attend (though the only punishment for not doing so is to be looked on with suspicion by one's neighbors). Outside of Hagust, the Nambik grow less devout, as seperation from the constant tremors make religion less important; even those born off of Hagust, however, often make a pilgrimage to Valta-Piol Woqua. - Creation Myth: In the beginning of time, a giant egg incubated at the heart of the planet. It hatched in a shockwave that caused massive volcanic eruptions, and from it slithered a massive winged snake called the All-Life Carrier. Spreading its wings, it flew into the stars and swam among them, seeking a mate. It eventually found a great egg, which it brought back to Hagust. The egg hatched, its shell forming the moons, and from it came the All-Life Breather. The two mated, and from them were born Erolis-Yien. He ordered them to mate again, and they birthed Valta-Yien and Piol-Yien. Then he forbid them to mate again, instead telling them to give the world life as he and his brothers planned out destiny. But when the three left to design the skeins of fate, the All-Life Carrier demanded that the All-Life Breather mate with it one last time. When it refused, the All-Life Carrier threw itself onto its mate, and from this painful union came Riega-Yien. Riega-Yien slew both of his parents, hiding their corpses in the sky as the constellations, before beginning to dig into Hagust's surface to retrieve the All-Life Carrier's eggshell; With it he could gain his divine parent's power and rule all worlds. Piol-Yien, however, had heard the screams as the All-Life Carrier and All-Life Breather had died; Erolis-Yien had seen the murder in a vision, and Valta-Yien felt the earth shake with the fatal blow. The three brothers charged across the world and attacked their murderous sibling, wrapping him in chains and bringing a great mountain down atop him, trapping him inside the world. From the blood of the All-Life Carrier and the last breath of the All-Life Breather, they created the Nambik, hoping that their creations would carry the potential of their parents into the stars someday. Sexuality: Nambik are rather conservative creatures, indulging in sexuality generally only for reproduction. The process tends to be painful for both males and females due to the confusing arrangement of the female's genitalia. As a result, the Nambik have few morally-instituted taboos - they see no point when sex is a chore to begin with. On some planets, Nambik tend to use artificial insemination even without any physical barriers to reproduction. Of course, the race could not survive if sexual reproduction was purely viewed as painful. On Hagust, reproduction is often part of a religious ritual that takes place during the "quiet days" (when seismic activity is at a minimum); as a result, many Nambik from Hagust share the same birthday. Leadership: On Hagust, nomadic Nambik are led by two individuals - the Great Teacher, a religious leader and interpreter of law, and the Master of Roads, who leads hunts and war, and who also maps out where the tribe will travel. The positions are heriditary, passing to the eldest child, but should the Great Teacher abuse his power, or should the Master of Roads fail in hunting, lose in battle or direct the tribe into disaster, the Nambik under their guidance will turn against them. In the cities, the position of Great Teacher still exists, but the Master of Roads becomes the Keepers of Pathways - three Nambik responsible for the city's growth, resources, and protection. The Great Teacher is still heriditary, but the Keepers of Pathways select their successors from those Nambik that serve them. Every five years per the GIGAS calendar, all available Masters of Roads or Keepers of Pathways gather on Hagust. There, they select new GIGAS Representatives from their number. Currently, the GIGAS Representatives are Ert Quis (male, from Hagust), Truo Prol (female, from Terguno), and Vols Pon (male, from Hagust). Cultural Relations: The Nambik, as mentioned previously, have maintained a peace with the Erum for several hundred years, though pockets of the Erum have never forgiven the Nambik for hunting and killing them for so long. The two races coexist, though both consider the idea of intermarriage akin to bestiality. One of the first races the Nambik encountered on achieving spaceflight were the Sciuridians. The two have never gotten along, as the Nambik view the Sciuridians as patronizing, manipulative children, and the Sciuridians view the Nambik as backwards, humorless busybodies. The two often fight over new, habitable worlds; as the Nambik are technologically behind the Sciuridians, they usually lose (the War of Seven Seconds is a notorious example, where the Sciuridians drove an entire force of Nambik into surrender by landing a single assault suit on the contested planet). However, when the Nambik attack from surprise, they frequently outmanuever and defeat the Sciuridians. (See below, "The Battle Over Earth".) Several worlds currently inhabited by Nambik colonies were purchased from the Miridi diaspora. The Nambik maintain good relations with the Miridi, though the two do have trouble communicating due to the odd, lyrical nature of the Miridi language; several enterprising Nambik have taken on jobs as "simplifiers", turning the poem-like Miridi speech into more standard speech. When the Greater Intergalatic Alliance of Species was created, the Nambik were one of the founding members. They have served as a constant presence since then, and are among the first to act against threats to the alliance. To date, no Nambik has served as Executive Chair, but they fill many other administrative roles. They have had an uneasy relationship with the Sciuridians even after both races became part of the GIGAS; the presence of both led to the creation of the Limited Warfare Agreement. The Viota have hit the Nambik hard in some regions of space; they consider the Nambik excellent slaves for hard repair work. As a result, the Nambik refuse to trade with the Zephyrics (who deal with the Viota) and devote an entire fleet to sweeping Nambik territory for any signs of the Viota - which they then hunt and destroy. Worthy of note is that the Nambik are among the few races who deal fairly with humans; they admire humanity's ability to survive in any environment and their ingenuity. Currently Earth is protected by a Nambik force that maintains bases in South Dakota, USA, Argentina, and Zimbabwe. Diet: The Nambik are omnivorous. The primary food stocks are a tough, fibrous vine called the gatchrek (which is pounded and peeled before eating) and the giant annelid called the vogo. Additional: The Battle Over Earth On December 12, 2012 by the Earth "Gregorian" calendar, a Sciuridian fleet suddenly appeared over Earth and launched a full-scale genocidal attack. 11.5 million humans died on the first day as the fleet attacked Earth without any warning or mercy. Human counterattack proved largely fruitless, and the Sciuridians began systemic destruction, starting from the coasts and working inwards. On December 14, however, a Nambik strike force faded into being behind the Sciuridian fleet and fired off a series of spread missiles, which arced around Sciuridian defenses and annihilated their rear guard. They then launched a hit-and-run offense that picked apart the fleet's flanks. Calls for assistance failed to get through, as a group of Nambik diplomats had affected a secret landing on Earth's surface and given its defenders a program to turn Earth's satellite networks into a giant communication-jamming field. Within three days, the Sciuridian attacks were broken and the fleet was utterly crushed. What was left of the assault fleet broke off and retreated. In all, the Sciuridians had killed some three billion humans; even with Nambik assistance, humanity's damaged civilization did not recover until only five hundred million humans were left. To this day, Earth is home to a Nambik force, which monitors space for any signs of further attack. ( TRANSMISSION ENDS) category:GIGAS member races